One of my favorite Internet memes is a photo of a blue Royal Dansk butter cookies tin.
The caption reads, “Why are there cookies in Grandma’s sewing kit?” It always makes me smile, mostly because I’m glad I wasn’t the only child who was fooled by the reuse of a cookie tin for storage.
What can be more disappointing than discovering thread and buttons in a place where you thought you might find a snack?
There is something great about a butter cookie. They have that hint of sugar, are a little crunchy and they are highlighted with that deep, satisfying flavor of real butter.
Whenever they’re around at Christmastime, I find them irresistible, and I’m clearly not alone, since this week’s recipe is actually originally from a viral video. The video features butter cookies made quickly and easily with only three ingredients: butter, sugar and flour.
Of course, I had to give it a try.
I found this recipe on a website called “I Love My Recipes.” You can find the original at https://ilovemyrecipes.com/these-brilliant-cookies-are-taking-the-internet-by-storm-3-ingredients-and-ready-in-no-time/. This was such a simple recipe, I didn’t add anything to my version.
Three-ingredient Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar plus more for sprinkling
- 2 1/4 cups flour
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat all three ingredients together to form a crumbly dough.
- Dump the dough out onto a countertop or piece of waxed paper and squish it together into a log about two inches in diameter.
- Roll the dough in sugar and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 320 degrees, and slice the log into about 3/4-inch slices. Place them an inch apart on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. They will spread out a little but won’t get overly brown—just around the edges.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets before transferring them to an airtight container.
Don’t be discouraged if your dough doesn’t come together immediately. It takes a little effort to get it to finally stop flaking apart and stick together—just keep messing with it.
These cookies aren’t overly sweet and are absolutely delicious dunked into a cup of coffee. If you wanted them to be a bit sweeter, you could coat the sliced cookies in sugar before baking them, too.
The recipe only made about one and one-half dozen cookies, the perfect amount if you’re just looking to satisfy your sweet tooth without too much temptation.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a blue tin on hand to put my cookies in, but I think I’ll still enjoy them just as much, even if I don’t have a new storage place for my needles and bobbins when my cookies are all gone.
This piece first appeared in print on Sept. 23, 2021.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.